Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	afflict_v	israel_n	zion_n	61	3	9.0292	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23606	Precious promises the portion of overcomers. / By John Lougher, minister of the Gospel.	Lougher, John, d. 1686.	1681 (1681)	Wing L3093B; ESTC R217742	97,531	281

Demas Julian and many others were But these were rotten Posts not real Pillars and therefore were easily broken when the burden of Temptation was laid upon them Hypocrisie will end in Apostacy They went out from us because they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out from us that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us saies the Apostle 1 Joh. 2.19 Here we see Many are in the Visible Church who are not of the Church Mystical and these will manifest themselves at one time or other what they are Some were troubled to see so many forsake the Church but he would not have them marvel at it for if they had been of us they would have continued with us They were not right and sound if they had they would never have done so They now discover they were none of us and so are the better avoided We lose nothing by their departure The Corn loseth nothing when the Chaff is gone but is the purer nor the Body when bad Humours are worn away but is the more sound and healthful but yet every one that is upright shall so far overcome as to continue his station in the Mystical Body of Christ A true Believer may be so far worsted in a particular Combat as to be cast out of the Church by a Sentence of Excommunication and that deservedly which was the case of the Incestuous Corinthian 1 Cor. 5. Yet was not he totally and finally overcome by the Enemy but was recovered by Repentance and restored to the Communion of the Church again and went no more out Judas went out and Demas forsook the Truth and Servants of Christ but we find nothing of their Recovery and rising again by Godly Sorrow Where there is no Root there is no lasting Fruit some hasty Blossoms but they are soon nipt and quickly fall off They are true sincere Christians that are persevering to the end Sampson pulled down the Pillars of Dagon's Temple and the house fell and all therein were slain Judg. 16.29 But all the Powers of Earth and Hell combin'd shall not be able to destroy the Temple of God nor utterly break one Pillar thereof God gave his People charge to break down the Pillars that the Idolaters had set up Deut. 12.5 But Believers are Pillars of God's setting up and none shall destroy any one of them 'T is true if left to themselves they are like to Sampson when God was departed from him but as others easily conquered by the assaults of their Enemies as Peter resolved to be more firm and constant than all men Though all forsake thee yet will not I saies he Yet how easily and quickly was he overcome to deny his Lord and Master But being upheld by the stronger Pillars of God's Almghty Power and immutable Covenant they are not so totally routed and vanquished as never to recover but are renewed in their Life and Strength as Peter was And as a Bone that hath been broken and once well set again is stronger than ever so they gather strength by their Falls and are confirmed in the truth and ways of God unto the end This is the first thing here promised to Overcomers The Second follows Bran. 2. Christ will give to such not only to be Pillars in his Temple but excellent Names shall be by him written upon them The Pillars in Solomon's Temple had very significant Names engraven upon them but these here promised are much more excellent The Text mentions three I will write upon him saith Christ the Name of my God and the Name of the City of my God and my new Name Of these briefly 1. Christ will write upon the Overcomer the Name of his God Some carry the sense thus He shall be acknowledged to belong unto God As things written upon Pillars are made visible and legible to all or as things openly marked declare their Title and shew whose they are So Christ will set Marks and Characters of God's Image upon them that are Victorious such as shall extort and force this acknowledgment even from their very Enemies who will he convinced in their Consciences and clearly see that they are the Servants and People of God When Professors are overcome by their Corruptions Pride Worldliness Passion Uncharitableness Injustice and Unrighteousness in their dealings Unfaithfulness in their words and promises then the world writes other Names upon them then they are called Hypocrites Dissemblers Formalists a people that make Religion but a cover for Vice a cloak for Covetousness and for Maliciousness seem better but are worse than mere civil and moral men O say they we had rather trust or deal with just honest men though they make not such shews of Religion than with many great Professors who for a pretence make long Prayers as the Pharisees did but none more unjust and false than they they will say or do almost any thing to wrong and defraud another to over-reach and go beyond another Oh! that these things were not too justly and truly spoken of too many that are called Christians and Church-Members Pudet haec opprobria nobis On the contrary when any get Victory over these Epidemical Evils and manifest it by a constant acting in a contradiction to such sinful waies then men will say Ay these are the people of God indeed if there be any Saints upon Earth these are such If all Professors were such as these we would be among them our selves Oh! how desirable is it to see the day come that is prophesied of Isa 60.14 when all they that have afflicted and despised the people of God shall bow themselves down at the soles of their feet and call them the City of the Lord the Zion of the Holy One of Israel They are Overcomers that must hasten the fulfilling of this That which God promised to put his Name in Solomon's Temple 1 Kings 8. is made good to them Christ will write his Fathers Name on their Foreheads He also promiseth to write upon him the Name of the City of his God even the new Jerusalem which cometh down from God out of Heaven There is a threefold Jerusalem Terrestrial Celestial and Mystical 1. The terrestrial or earthly Jerusalem called the City of David The City of the great King c. Isa 22.4 Psal 48.2 This City was once one of the Wonders of the World as the Gold among the Metals so was Jerusalem among the Cities Here the famous Temple was built here was the Ark of the Testimony and the Tables of the Covenant the sacred Vestments the Priests wore and it was the Seat of the great King even God dwelt there In Salem that is Jerusalem was his Tabernacle and his Dwelling-place in Sion Psal 76.1 2. 2. There is the Celestial or Heavenly Jerusalem called a City God hath prepared for Believers a City Heb. 11.16 Of this some understand that Psal 87.3 Glorious things are